Cleaning device



Aug. 28,- 1928.

' c. FIELD CLEANING DEVICE Filed 001;. a, 1925 I ATTORNEY Patented Aug.28 1928.

UNITED STATES {PATENT "OFFICE.

CROSBY FIELD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO BRILLO MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, INC, A CORPORATION 'OF NEW YORK.

CLEANING DEVICE.

Application filed October 8, 1925. Serial No. 61,188.

My present invention is in the nature of a package of soap in flake orfragment form and includes a metallic fabric wrapper or bag ofsufliciently fine mesh or comprising a sufficient number of layers toeffectively retain the soap flakes or fragments While at the same timebeing freely penetrable by water. Such a package affords a means forsoapmg or sudsing with water, in which the material of the containercannot absorb grease or dirt and is easily freed from any coatings thatstick to the metal surfaces. The device is particularly adapted for thesudsing operations such as soap flakes are commonly used for, for thefurther-reason that it permits free access of water to the soap andrubbing of the soap particles to facilitate solution thereof, and alsobecause it affords a means for instant withdrawal of the soap chips forfuture use as soon as the water has become sufliciently soaped.

The above and other features of my invention will be more evident fromthe following description in connection with the accompanying drawings,in which I Fig. 1 is a face view of chips of soap with the knittedribbon bag, illustrating one form of the invention, layers of thefabric'being broken away to show the chips of soap;

Fig. 2 is a detail section on the line 22, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view'showing one form of metal ribbon fabric thatmay be.

used.

As shown in thedrawings, a desired quantity of soap chips, 1, isenclosed infabric, 2, which is preferably of fine mesh and preferably intwo or more layers so that ordinary soap chips and even small fragmentsof chips will be retained.

The envelope or container is preferably a very flexible metal fabric tofacilitate 1ts use for the above purposes and the fabric is preferablyof such a type that it can be applied for uses analagous to those of asoap-containing wash cloth and preferably the fabric is such that itaffords a certain amount of scraping and scrubbing action without dangerof scoring or scarring the surfaces of aluminum utensils and other metalsurfaces on which it may be used.

I prefer to use a relatively fine mesh fabric of flexible metal ribbonspreferably of nonferrous relatively soft metals or alloys such ascopper, aluminum or German silver. A

desirable metal is an alloy much like that employed in ordinary tinsel.

It is evident that metal ribbons bent in the slidable loops required forstocking-knit fabric afford natural scraping edges that are not tooharsh, combined with any desired size of mesh for retaining the soapflakes and for scrubbing the surfaces to be" cleaned. The width of theribbon may be, say, eight to twelve times its thickness and. say, 1/16to 1/64 inch wide by, say, 1/500 to 1/100 inchthick.

The metal fabric envelope may be in the form of a container filled withthe soap flakes and fastened in any desired way. A cheap way is to havethe fabric made from thin flexible copper or tinsel-like ribbons madeb'yknitting on a stocking knitting machine in tubular form. When made inthis form, one end may be tied, then the soap flakes inserted and theother end of the tube closed and secured by wire or other suitablefastening means. a

Such a container or bag has a large part of its chip-enclosing sidescomprised of scrap ing ribbon which is freely penetrable by the waterwhile the puckered portion where either end is tied affords so manythicknesses of ribbon fabric that it forms a soft cushion or handle tobe grasped by the user, or it may be used as a deep elastic pad forapplication to the surface to be cleaned.

Referring to the drawings, the fabric is in two layers, 2, 2, while thefabric is in the form of a tube of diameter and length suitable formaking an approximately spherical package. The soap chips are slippedinto the tube and the free'ends, 2 2*, are secured by wire or othersuitable bond, 3.

Where there are multiple layers, they may be formed by telescoping twoor more separate pieces of the fabric or by telescoping back and forthsuccessive portions of a single length. It will be evident, however,that while the tubular form is convenient, there are many other ways inwhich the fabric may be formed in bags suitable for retaining the soapchips. 1

The fabric used for the wrapper may be wire of any desired cross-sectionand the weave or knit of the fabric may be as indicated in Fig. 3. Hereit consists of ribbons interengaged longitudinally of the fabric in sliploops. The ribbon loops may assume an infinite variety. of positionsunder different tensions and pressures, in the different parts of thefabric, by reason of the loop strucacteristic position more or lessedgewise tothe surface. This is of advantage for severai reasons. fttends to present the scraping edges of the ribbon edgewiseto the surfaceof the fabric nnd'consequently in the best possible position forscrapingthe surface to be cleaned, This also provides openings for flow of waterthrough the fabric, directly to and from the soap at the sides. prop-ermanipulation, the fabric may be caused to have a variabie rubbing actionon the surface of the soap. For instance, when the device is used mereiyfor sudsing water, the surface of the fabric by the squeezing the willpromote a y soiution of the soap and water.

if the metal ribbons of the fabric of as soft metai and as thin as maybe desirable for properly scouring metal surfaces without scratchingthem, rough usage of the device may wear out the fabric before the soaphas been used up. if this happens in the case of the multiple layerwrapper, the only result is to expose successive layers of fabrlc eachof which has been up to that time pro weenie tected from injury by thelayer that has become worn out. The novelty and advantage of thisfeature of my invention will be readily appreciated. The number oflayers of fabric may be designed with reference to the strength of theribbons employed in the fabric andwith reference to the quantity of soapchips, for the purpose and with the result that the wrapper will last aslong as the soap. ft is obvious that where the package is used only forsudsiiig water, it will last a long time, and may be refilled with soapchips by the user, as often as may be necessary.

If ciairn:-

i. A. cleaning device, comprising an open ended tube of abrasive Inetaifabric, a detergent therein, and means closing the openends of said tubeto secure the detergent within tube, said nieans'bein spaced from saidends to provide tufts of abrasive fabric. I

in a cleaning device, an open ended tube comprising a piurality of layof abrasive metal fabric, soap chips therein and means closing the openends of said tune to secure the soap chips within the tube, said meansbeing spaced fr one said ends to provide tufts of abrasive meta].fabric.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York,this 7th day of @ctober,A. 111925.

CRUSBY FfELlD.

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